


(Please Don't) Close The Door and Watch Me Go

by ArchWriter



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Book 5: The Blood of Olympus, Friendship, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Post-The Blood of Olympus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 10:29:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8747008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchWriter/pseuds/ArchWriter
Summary: The Door's of Death have only one way of closing, and Leo knows how.orAU Canon-divergence from the ending The Blood of Olympus inspired by one of Viria's old fanarts.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is actually one of my old works that I wrote out before The Blood of Olympus came out, and Tumblr was exploding with Viria's art. This one was inspired by a particular art of hers that had Leo close the Doors of Death to save everyone, and from the few captions I took and expanded, I just wrote this out. This was basically lemon or angsty (or whatever I don't know what to call this) and just decided to share it here. Anyways, carry on reading. XD

            Leo knew the quest was not yet over, but he couldn’t help think that maybe, this was the part where it was over _for him_. He took one step forward towards the Doors and thought _‘Guess this is it huh?’_

            Piper saw Leo take a step forward and moved towards him. She saw Leo’s stance; how he looked sadly towards the Doors of Death with Gaea herself being held by the power of Tartarus, how his shoulders seemed to slump in resignation, and how his hands stayed still, as if all the nervous energy in Leo’s body had finally failed him. Piper didn’t like the look on Leo’s face.

            “Leo…?”

            Leo turned his head slowly to look at Piper. She was seriously beautiful, Leo thought, neither the darkness nor any dirt or grime could diminish any beauty Piper had. He just stared at her, his best friend, as the fires from the once again open Doors of Death cast a faint illumination into Piper’s eyes, her ever-changing multicolored irises seeming to comfort him.

            And he needed that. He didn’t want to think about breaking a promise to himself for returning to a certain someone stuck in Ogygia. He didn’t want to think how Gaea struck that certain someone down in front of his eyes when she declined loyalty to the Earth Mother for the last time. He didn’t want to think of that last smile, that last look she gave him, that promise she asked of him to keep, before finally saying the last three words he never though he’d hear from her. He didn’t want to think that as he held her body against his, she slipped through his fingers and became a memory.

            He didn’t want to think of that broken heart inside of him that no amount of tools from his tool belt would ever be able to fix.

            Leo took another step towards the Doors, with more conviction this time. Piper took hold of his arm.

            “Leo, what are you doing?” Piper asked, worry creeping into her voice. The tone in Piper’s voice grabbed the attention of the others who were huddled a few feet back. Jason was at Piper and Leo’s side at once.

            “What’s going on?” Jason asked.

            Leo didn’t answer, just looked towards the Doors. He looked at Gaea, struggling to break free from the force of Tartarus inside that tiny elevator shaft. That was the plan: send Gaea back to sleep then send her to Tartarus. Gaea’s consciousness was waning and tiring, her struggles growing weaker from each second. Soon she’ll be asleep, and all that’s left to do is to find a way how to close the Doors again from the other side and send the Titan to Tartarus.

            And Leo could only think of one way.

            Annabeth had told all of them about the Doors of Death – about how it worked like an elevator, and in order for the Doors to close, one must stay on the other side and press a button for twelve minutes. She also told them about Damasen and Bob (who was actually the Titan Iapetus. Long story) and how the giant and Titan sacrificed themselves for the couple so they could buy time and close the Doors, and send Percy and Annabeth back to the surface.

            Annabeth was quick to catch on to what Leo was thinking.

            “Leo, no, we can think of another way,” she said, her voice trying to sound confident.

            Leo didn’t listen. Instead, he grabbed Piper’s hold away from him and walked towards the Doors. He stepped inside, and finally, took in his friends as they stared dumbstruck at what Leo was planning to do.

            Suddenly, rumbling started to shake the ground. The rest of the monsters were stirring, and they’re still out for blood.

            “Go,” Leo said, “beat some monster butt out there for me. I’ll hold down this fort.”

            “But…” Frank began but stopped abruptly. He knew where he stood. As a tactician and praetor, he knew certain things had to be done, and Mars and this quest taught him that. But still, even if it meant choosing to fight the monsters so Leo could close the Doors on the other side, he just couldn’t take it. He couldn’t accept it though he had to.

            _Duty. Sacrifice. They mean something,_ Mars told Frank once.

            “Oh c’mon Zhang. Don’t go all praetor on me. I have to do this.” Leo said, addressing the last part to all of them.

            Hazel and Annabeth started crying, with Piper trying to stop the tears from escaping. She couldn’t stomach losing Leo; he’d been there for her all throughout everything even before this entire quest about demigods and Gaea started. He was there when she was trying to survive her first few weeks at the Wilderness School. He was there as a friend when nobody at school tried to be with her. He was there with her and Jason when they embarked on the quest to free Hera. He was there when they needed a ship to be built to fulfill their quest. And he was there to always lighten up a dark atmosphere with his jokes and smartass comments.

            Always.

            And she couldn’t stand to lose Leo. She’d sacrificed so much – all of them – that the thought that she had to lose her one of her best friends – and Leo who meant so much more to her like a brother – was unfair. She silently blamed the Fates for being so cruel.

            “Hey Wise Girl, Miss Metal Detector, Beauty Queen, please don’t cry,” Leo said softly, his voice filled with so much strength for someone willingly walking to his end.

            “It hasn’t ended yet alright? That’s for all of you, Seaweed Brain, Superman, Elephant, Death Breath. Don’t sweat it; you guys can’t get rid of me that easily.”

            “But Leo…” Piper tried to speak, but broke off as her tears finally escaped. She wanted to talk Leo out of it; use charmspeak even. But she couldn’t. Right when she needed it, her voice failed her.

            “Like I said Beauty Queen,” Leo snapped, but not harshly, “don’t worry. I got this. I’m a professional.” Leo smiled his trademark mischievous smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

            The rumbling in the ground was growing stronger; the monsters were getting nearer. A distant yell echoed, and they all knew it wouldn’t be long.

            And with one motion, Leo pressed the button from inside, and the Doors slowly moved to close.

            He took one last look at his friends; at Frank who was clenching his fists and growing teary-eyed; at Hazel who was crying and whispering his name; at Nico who was standing out back, his eyes painfully shut with a hurt expression, as if he didn’t want to see the Doors close on Leo; at Jason who shared a look similar to Nico, eyes shut and an expression of pain on his face; at Piper, who was now sobbing in Jason’s arms, her voice failing to make any coherent words; at Annabeth, who was tearing up with a face of pain; and at Percy holding Annabeth close to him, who looked equally pained and broken at how things had to go. He knew Percy and Jason wanted to stop him, but they were out of luck and out of time. There were no options left.

            As the Doors began to close completely, he smiled once more at his friends, showing them that he was alright, that he’d meet with them later, and they could all go back to camp and celebrate the quest’s end although he knew it wouldn’t be possible for him. The Doors closed completely, with Leo’s hands resting on the door’s cold surface.

            Gaea wasn’t resisting as much when Leo took a look at her. Her dress was still burning from Leo’s fire a while back, and Leo wondered if the flames would burn up the elevator before they reached Tartarus, burning Leo and Gaea alive like what happened to his mother all those years ago.

            Gaea’s face turned to Leo’s direction. Her face had her eyes closed, and her expression was peaceful – as if you wouldn’t imagine that face doing you any harm.

            _So this is fate you have chosen, little hero_ , Gaea’s cold sleepy voice spoke, _to sacrifice yourself. You have chosen to die._

            Gaea didn’t sound like she was mocking Leo. She almost sounded sad for Leo, but then again, Leo thought Gaea was pretty sleepy now, and her voice was just taking on a different quality.

            “Pretty much,” Leo was still angry at Queen Dirt Face, but he just didn’t seem to have the energy left to get angry at her right now. Leo slumped down and took out the astrolabe with the crystal from his tool belt. He played with it in his hands, but he felt empty looking at it. It was useless to him now.

            Leo noticed Gaea’s face as if it was looking at the astrolabe too with her eyes closed, and for a moment Gaea’s expression almost – _almost_ – looked regretful at what happened to Calypso.

            Leo pocketed the astrolabe again and stood up.

            “Next stop, Tartarus,” Leo tried to sound extra cheerful with the announcement, but his voice sounded flat. He knew what awaited him when they reach Tartarus. Gaea would hopefully go to sleep somewhere she won’t wake up from in another few millennia, and he’d face Tartarus’ monsters armed with his tool belt and a sense of humor. He wouldn’t last long.

            The words Nemesis told him echoed in his mind. _True success requires sacrifice_. He sacrificed himself for the others, to close the Doors himself and take Gaea with him to Tartarus.

            He had come to his death willingly, but he didn’t feel any regret at all. He had fulfilled his role in the prophecy, and kept his last promise to Calypso that he would keep his friends safe no matter what.

            _An oath to keep with a final breath_. Leo may not have expected that line in the prophecy to have come true in the way that it did, but in the end, the prophecy has held true to its words.

            He had kept his promise.

            And in that moment, dying didn’t seem like such a bad idea after all.


End file.
